It was actually my partner, Bernard Edwards, who helped me develop my sort of funky jazz style.

With Sumthin Else Music Works, I wanted to spread the love and give newcomers a chance to make it because something that really helped me were all the people who had given me an opportunity when I was putting my career together.

When I was very young, there was a lot of music at home, mostly jazz. I was walking around singing and pretending I was in bands from a very young age. But the first song that was really personal to me was 'Blue Suede Shoes'.

We play what I call 'soul jazz,' ... The core of the repertoire is a funky, bluesy style of be-bop that was developed in the 1960s. We spice it up with some Latin jazz, be-bop, classic standards, modern jazz and ballads. We perform a variety of stuff.

My personal style is kind of tomboy-boho chic! Sort of funky but simple.

My childhood was bittersweet in many ways. We moved around a lot. By the time I was 10, I had travelled thousands of miles, often on my own. My parents were like my friends, so it felt like I didn't really have parents at all. But in a crazy way that was very liberating. It forced me to be independent, maybe a leader, and certainly a survivor.